• A 1987 Famicom action game by Konami, based on Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix manga, notable as the first game released that year.
• Gaou, a former thief turned sculptor, travels through the Yamato, Future, and Primeval eras to recover 16 stolen Phoenix sculpture panels.
• Gaou is the only playable character. Manga characters like Akanemaru appear on the box art but are absent from the gameplay.
• Features the unique Onigawara system, allowing Gaou to place tiles to create platforms or block enemies using 99 consumable stock.
• Known in Japan as Gaou no Bouken, the game was Japan-exclusive but has the English title The Phoenix: Garo's Adventure.
• Praised for its innovative tile mechanics, exploration via hidden warps, and a high-quality soundtrack composed by Kinuyo Yamashita.
• Critics noted the difficulty is relatively low, and Gaou lacks a crouch-attack, requiring more strategic positioning.
• The "crouch-jump" command to break blocks is unintuitive, and certain boss-fight backgrounds can cause significant eye strain.
• The "Select" button allows self-destruction if trapped, and the ending features the theme song from the animated film adaptation.
• A polished, creative adaptation that blends platforming with resource management, standing as a "Golden Age" Konami classic.
